


Second Chance

by dovingbird



Category: Game Grumps
Genre: F/M, Mental Health Issues, Post-Break Up, Recovery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-26
Updated: 2018-11-26
Packaged: 2019-08-29 21:04:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,496
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16751500
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dovingbird/pseuds/dovingbird
Summary: A filled commission. Escaping to the Washington mountains wasn't enough to take away Holly's struggles with mental illness - if anything, the isolation has exacerbated them. A quiet cry for help on Twitter one late night leads to the most unlikely company.





	Second Chance

**Author's Note:**

  * For [HerbertBest](https://archiveofourown.org/users/HerbertBest/gifts).



_It's just a low. You don't need to shout about it._

_**But people need to know it's okay to share when they're having a bad night.** _

Not for the first time, Holly sat curled in a ball on her bed, chewing on one nail, her eyes fixated on the open Twitter app. The house was silent. Late as it was, the pigeons in their roost had fallen asleep, Mojo was dozing in another room entirely, and she was left completely alone.

It dug into her flesh. Her mind roared, racing through painful memory after memory, inundating her with nothing but agony - and yet she didn't move a muscle. She thought she might stay here all night, reliving the past and wishing she could cry. Her tears were spent. The entire day had been agonizing, gray from sunrise to sunset, and she had nothing left to give.

_There's no point in saying anything. It's not like anyone would reach out._

She wanted to believe that was a lie. Before she could second guess herself, she typed out a quick tweet.

_"Having one of those nights. Sometimes you have to remember your mental illness is lying to you, but that's harder some days than others. Remember to reach out when you're hurting!"_

_Hypocrite._

It was late - that was all. She didn't want to wake someone up when she wasn't exactly in crisis mode. She knew what a crisis looked like in her life, and this wasn't it - but God, did it still make her burn up inside.

Unwilling to watch her notifications fill with people who might understand her situation but not _her_ , Holly put her phone to sleep and tossed it to the far side of the bed. At the very least, she could lay down. Maybe this time she'd sleep. Maybe she wouldn't close her eyes and think about how she did nothing but hurt the people she loved and that her mother had only seen her as a tool to use and that-

_You're not doing a good job at this sleeping thing. Can't even do that right._

Holly squeezed her eyes shut until they hurt and gathered her knees to her chest, her breathing coming raggedly. For all her therapy and attention to mental health, sometimes she just had to admit it didn't work. Her brain was broken. Her soul was fractured. Acting as if she was healing at _all_ was…

… _did my phone just vibrate?_

She didn't have notifications from social media active on her phone anymore, but with how late it was, she had no idea what else it could be. She pulled her phone over and checked it.

The last thing she expected was a text from Danny.

_"Rough night?"_

Holly chewed on her bottom lip. Every part of her screamed not to text back - not to get him involved in her issues now that she wasn't even living in California. How selfish would she be if she did? After all, Danny was _Ross's_ friend. Amicably as things had ended there, they'd still divvied up their pets with great care, just like their belongings, and Holly found herself mentally dividing the friendships as well. She got Suzy. Ross got Danny.

And then the anxiety kicked in, reminding her that she was leaving him on read.

Her fingers flew in a reply. _"I'm fine! How are you?"_ Lying was better on nights like this.

A typing bubble instantly filled the screen. _"I'm good. Your tweets don't sound very fine though."_

_Shit._ Holly buried her face in her pillow and let out a sharp, unintentional sound - trying to burn off the rising tension she felt. _"Sometimes you just feel sad. Really, I'm fine."_

_"Are you sure? I know you wouldn't lie to me, Holly. We've been friends for too long."_

And they had. She'd worked with him before Arin. Whether or not Danny meant to guilt her, it was working. It was unhealthy to vent as much as she wanted to, she thought, but her eyes blurred as her thumbs pounded on the screen. _"Things changed when I left, that's all. I knew they would, but I didn't realize how alone I'd feel here in Washington. I've spent so much of my life taking care of people and dropping everything I was doing to help them, and it's hard to realize that I don't have anyone who wants to do the same for me. It makes it tough to go on."_ The second she sent the text, she tasted acid on her tongue and hurried to type a follow up. _"I'm okay, though, I mean it. I don't want anybody to worry. Please don't talk about it at the office, okay? Just forget I said anything."_

She couldn't stay still after that. Though Holly had neglected her self care that night - ignoring the need to wash her face - she clambered out of bed and hurried to the bathroom. Exfoliating her skin a little too roughly was punishment enough for what she'd just done.

She didn't want people to worry about her. She could handle herself, no matter how depressed she might feel. The last thing she wanted to do was cause someone trouble.

And, she realized the second she returned to bed, she must have done exactly that. Her message hadn't been replied to. She was alone, just like she'd suspected.

Somehow, even knowing that in advance didn't help.

Holly collapsed into bed and dragged the pillow close. She already knew she couldn't cry. The likelihood of sleeping was low. She hadn't relied on a sleeping pill in a while, but…

Her phone vibrated. She opened the alert, then stared at the screenshot Danny had sent her: a plane ticket to Washington.

_"Someone always cares. I'm going to bed. I'll see you tomorrow."_ That was all he said.

_That can't be real._ Holly zoomed in on the ticket with wide eyes. But the more she looked, the more she realized that, no, it's wasn't fake. For whatever reason, Danny was coming to visit her the next day - for the whole weekend, apparently.

And she'd barely even unpacked when she moved in.

_He's going to see everything!_

Sleep completely forgotten, Holly flew through the house, searching for cleaning supplies and ways to hide every unpacked box. She didn't have much time, but she'd be damned if she didn't at least _act_ like a respectable adult before he arrived.

 

~~~

 

_Yep. Great idea, Avidan. You did it! You sure showed your supportive friendship by fucking showing up without even asking if you could come!_

So what if he'd been guilting himself for twelve hours? He deserved it. Hell of a job Danny had done, just buying a fucking plane ticket. Holly hadn't messaged him back after that. Maybe she wouldn't even be picking him up at the airport. Maybe she was pretending she never received the text. Honestly, he deserved it. With his bag in hand, waiting for everyone ahead of him to disembark, all Danny could think about was how he'd walk straight to the ticket stand and buy a return flight right that second.

Maybe having a thousand dollars less in his bank account would remind him to stop running from his own problems.

It wasn't like he'd given himself the chance to heal, he considered as he finally left the plane. He never did, really. He was _Danny._ Time might fix everything, but he refused to wait. He had long legs, and they carried him fast, right past every break he might need to take. Straight to Washington, for example, where no one would be waiting for him but…

…but a pale woman, all in black, her dark wavy hair framing her jagged face.

_Holly._

She'd come. She was waiting right here at the gate, even though she didn't have to.

A familiar warmth spread through Danny. He knew it well. The two of them had worked together before Grumps even existed, hadn't they? He remembered passing her in the halls at Maker, getting dragged into her crazy ideas, pulling her into a few himself…no, she was a fantastic friend, and one that he missed dearly.

He knew why she was here in Washington, but fuck, he hadn't realized how much not seeing her ate at him.

"You came!" Danny chirped, opening his arms wide, and Holly buried her face in his chest with a quiet sound. "You didn't have to. I could've just gone back home."

"Not a chance." Her voice was mumbled against his t-shirt. Every bit of her weight sagged into him, and Danny shifted his footing as he blinked.

Was her paleness natural? Were her cheekbones gaunt instead of sharp? He rubbed up and down her back, hoping to coax her to look at him.

"I don't live too far off," she suddenly began to chatter like one of her birds. "So we just need to hop in the car, and we can think about ordering food on the way - there's a great place just down the road from my house, and they know me by name by now, so I get pretty fast service."

"That's great." Danny tried to catch a glimpse of her face, but Holly had already pulled away and started leading a path through the others. "Uh, hey, I'm…sorry about just showing up, by the way, like, the last thing I wanted to do was stress you out-"

"Please don't apologize." Her voice, fragile as it was, barely broke through the air before it was gone again, quick enough that he might've only imagined it.

Danny hesitated for only a moment longer before he followed in her wake.

 

~~~

 

"I really wish you'd take the bed."

"I'm not gonna take the bed!" Danny bubbled up with laughter.

God, she hadn't realized how much she missed that sound. Holly stood with her back to him for a moment, blankets still in her arms, and let the tingles spread down her spine. It felt like it had been years since she'd even spoken to another human being, and now here she was, dressing her cat fur covered couch for one. "You're so much taller than me, Danny. Don't pretend like you're not going to be miserable out here tonight."

"If I'm miserable, you can say you told me so." The smile he wore was audible. As she began spreading the sheets out for him, he joined her, and they made quick work of them. It wasn't surprising - his hands were so much larger than hers, she noticed with a glance, broad and lean.

_You've been living alone for so long that you're admiring someone's hands,_ she thought dryly.

"If Mojo bothers you, just kick her off the couch. Seriously." Holly tucked her hair behind her ear. She put a few feet of distance between her and Danny and restlessly began rearranging the clutter on the TV stand. "She bounces back pretty well, it's…don't worry about it."

"I won't."

When the silence stretched out, she glanced over her shoulder and met his warm brown gaze. She was a parody of a human being. All the company she'd had for days, if not weeks, were birds and a cat, and that meant her understanding of human interaction was gone. What did people talk about when they made eye contact? No clue.

It didn't help that he didn't seem in a hurry to break either the silence or the stare.

"So!" Holly clapped her hands and rubbed them together, hurrying toward the hallway. "I'll be in my room. If you need anything, just come ask. Food's all available. Bathroom too." _As if he didn't use it already, Holly, you silly egg._ "Um. Good night!"

She shut her bedroom door before he could even reply.

Trapped as she was, she didn't give herself room to escape the frustrated thoughts. _So look how the evening's gone. You gave him a lukewarm takeout dinner, absolutely no conversation, a shitty Internet connection, a couch too short for his legs_ _…_ They circled like hawks, waiting until she was just vulnerable enough for them to dive and take a chunk out of her mind. Anxiety filled the gaps.

Another sleepless night - except this time she had a house guest to make it twice as bad.

When it felt like she'd taken up every ounce of the oxygen, her lungs struggling to fill, Holly gave up. She wrapped a scarf around her neck, bundled up in her thickest sweater, and even had the presence of mind to put on gloves. Just a short walk outside would do her well, she decided, popping around the back near the pigeons and getting a breath of fresh air.

Two steps down the hallway had her slowing.

Danny was asleep on the couch. With his head turned toward the room and his long eyelashes flush with his cheeks, he held a youthfulness that she hadn't seen on him since those early days at Maker. One of the sheets was pulled up around his bare collarbone and arms - and Mojo, bless her, rested on his chest, lifting her head to see her when she came a little further into the room.

"You little terror," she whispered, extending a finger for Mojo to sniff and rub against, then lingered a few seconds more. Danny breathed deeply, lips parted. Was he dreaming? What did he think about, in that too tight brain of his? He kept too many plates spinning at once - she couldn't imagine carrying all that and having anything _but_ nightmares about something going wrong.

_You're staring again._

Heat flooded Holly's face as she let herself out the back door. She welcomed the cold. It embraced her, inviting her further into the yard, and she followed, grateful for the nip on her cheeks and nose to be a willing distraction.

The stars did the trick. She tipped her head back and admired them, trying to pick out every constellation she'd ever learned. _I missed you all. I haven't greeted you enough since I came out here. I'm sorry. I'll do better._ It was too easy to hide in the house every night, after spending so much time outside during the day taking care of her feathered brood. But being here, beneath the night sky, she felt the power in the air down to the tips of her toes. She remembered what called her to witchy roots in the first place.

She had to stop hiding from it. She came up on her tiptoes, stretching her fingers toward the moon…

"Can I join you?"

Holly whipped around, flustered. Danny stood there in his thin hoodie and sleep pants, feet shoved into his awful tennis shoes. He looked like a Californian through and through, one who had never experienced weather below fifty degrees in his life, and she covered her mouth to hide her smile. "You're gonna freeze. You don't have to."

Danny laughed. "Hey, I haven't experienced nature in years. Maybe seeing some stars for once might do me some good."

"Even though you're shivering?"

"Shut up, I'm not."

He totally was, and he couldn't hide it from her, but he still stepped into the yard. The hoodie was tight on his frame, but it didn't keep her from missing the fact that his skin was bare beneath it. Rather than risk noticing the long line of his neck leading down to his exposed breastbone just above the zipper, Holly busied herself with removing her scarf. _This happens when you don't talk to people every day,_ she reasoned. _You start watching people like an asshole, and_ _…and it's_ _ **weird.**_ Holly cleared her throat. "I-I, uh, I know nature's helping _me_ do better now that I'm out here. Just, um, seeing some green every day? It can make you feel so much more connected to the world."

Holly came up on her tiptoes to put her at Danny's height, where she could wrap the scarf around his neck. The silence came back - her greatest enemy.

Danny had always been a babbler. Why wouldn't he speak now? Why did he keep letting Holly's words trail off into nothing so she could see exactly how much of a loser she was?

"Sorry," she whispered, because she couldn't think of anything else to say. She had no idea why she was apologizing, but she must've missed something obvious. She risked a glance upward and caught Danny watching the stars overhead. For the first time since he'd arrived, she saw the heavy bags under his eyes and the wrinkles on his skin. How she had missed them when he was sleeping, she had no idea. The likelihood that he was anything like her - carrying the weight of something he could only escape in his dreams - was slim to none. He'd achieved a level of success she would never meet.

Yet still he looked so damn tired, enough that her chest ached as she watched him.

"Will you show me some tomorrow?"

"What?" she asked, jolting in surprise.

"Nature. Something green. Whatever helps you connect." He furrowed his brow. "Whatever…makes you feel like more than a fucking cog in a machine."

Holly opened her mouth, then closed it again. She had no idea how to respond to that. "I…yeah. I can."

"Cool." He looked back at her and smiled, eyes sleepy. "Don't stay out here too long, okay?"

As he turned and went back inside, Holly found herself neglecting the sky again, settling for watching how he walked. He slipped inside like he belonged there, and she watched even still.

_You really need to get out more, Holly._

 

~~~

 

For once, the day was quiet. Danny couldn't remember the last time he'd had silence. Holly spent her time outside, caring for her pigeons and giving their roost a deep cleaning, then retreated inside with a coffee cup and a book that she buried her face behind. It left it to Danny to entertain himself - the last thing he wanted to do was disturb her concentration.

The first bit of time, he spent on his phone. There was the check in from Arin, asking if he was alive or if he'd been eaten by a bear yet. A text from Ross, delicately asking Danny to make sure Holly was taking care of herself. A follow up from Brian about an email he'd given him charge over now that he was out of town for a few days, paired with a blunt reminder for Danny to remember he couldn't just hide in the mountains forever.

That one got a lovely string of obscenities back, but Danny highly doubted Brian would give any kind of a fuck. What did he know, anyway? He wasn't the one dealing with this shit.

When he was raiding Holly's kitchen for dinner, however, making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for himself for the second meal in a row, he heard quiet footsteps behind him and turned his head. Holly leaned in the doorframe, dressed down in simple leggings and an oversized sweater that hung off her shoulder, her feet bare. Adorable, really. The warmth from the day before came rushing back twofold, and he sucked in a sharp breath and swallowed it back down to a safe, platonic level.

He might be a bastard sometimes when he was dealing with the shit he had going on, but he wasn't going to let it touch Holly.

"I thought I'd take you through the woods," she said softly. Had her voice always been so quiet? "Maybe once you're done eating."

Something about the shape and color of her big eyes made him forget his appetite entirely. "I can go now."

"You don't have to."

"I know." He couldn't help but smile. "Holly, this nature loving thing is rare as shit, okay? I've gotta take advantage of it before it's gone."

She nodded, but didn't laugh. That was fair. It hadn't really been funny. _Danny_ hadn't been funny in days. "I'll get my stuff, then."

"Cool." Danny watched her leave, then looked down at the peanut butter smeared bread. _Good enough._ He shoved it in his mouth as he wandered into the living room to wait for her.

To his surprise, they didn't drive. Holly led the way down the winding road like a silent pied piper, until she brought him to a copse of trees. Clearly this wasn't going to be a journey through a national park. No, she took him straight off the side of the street, but the further they journeyed, the fewer cars he heard, until it was just the two of them with the sinking sun casting less and less light through the branches.

"You remember the way back if it gets dark?"

Holly gave him a thin smile. "Don't tell me you're scared."

He bumped his shoulder against hers. "Not if you're there."

He caught how her cheeks turned pink as she looked away.

Not for the first time since he'd arrived, he wondered how much of an imposition he was on her daily life. He'd swooped down in the name of being a hero - building himself up - without considering that she might not need him there. He used her silences to rest his mind, but didn't see what she wanted in turn. He forced himself into her space.

Only assholes did that.

"You know," Danny said quietly, fearing somehow that she'd jump. "I haven't been out in the woods like this since I was a stoner."

Holly laughed suddenly and shook her head. "Sounds like a personal problem. You should get out more often."

"Oh yeah? With what time should I be doing that?" It was all in good humor - just a little verbal sparring.

She shot him a look. "You had time to come here and see me with only twelve hours notice."

_Fuck._ There it was. She'd called him on his bullshit, and he couldn't really keep it quiet now, could he? After considering his approach, Danny cleared his throat. "Yeah. I dunno. My girlfriend broke up with me that day, and…I guess my weekend opened up."

Only the sounds of the wildlife beginning to settle for the evening surrounded them for long seconds. It gave him plenty of time to remember the state he'd been in when he left - pride shattered, heart numb, eyes forcibly turning toward the horizon. Sometimes a man just needed to pretend that this time - the fiftieth break up in a row - didn't really matter, that he could just keep collecting them for the rest of his life. But it left him craving. Wanting.

Taking advantage of that to come hold a woman together while she patched herself up…it wasn't smart. Especially when it unearthed curiosity from years prior.

When Holly chuckled again, it sounded far less alive than the woods around them. "Right. God, I was stupid. Obviously you didn't come here for me."

He looked at her, studying her smile - one that looked shakier than stable.

"I mean, I'm happy to help you heal in any way I can, of course," she said quickly. "Didn't even know you _had_ a girlfriend, but-"

"I did come here for you," he interrupted.

Holly flinched. "Don't tell me what I want to hear just to be a nice guy, Danny. I think you're better than that."

_Think? Not know?_ The blow that struck his chest was stunning. It shouldn't have hurt, not even remotely, but he shook with the force of it.

_Of course it hurt, idiot, just look at her._ With each passing moment that he stared, the heat spread further through him. No, he couldn't judge it as wholly platonic anymore. But with a fresh break up on both of their minds, he couldn't do a damn thing about it - not even if it _had_ been there for years. He'd been so much closer to her before - when they crossed paths every day, when his position Grumping hadn't even been suggested yet. He'd wanted her even then. But he wasn't an asshole.

Friends didn't stick their noses where it wasn't allowed. They didn't think about ruining relationships that already stood firm, and he hadn't.

A man couldn't be responsible for what he dreamed about at night, however. Whether they were fervent, sweaty ones six years prior about hooking up in a work closet, or the quietly shared kisses he dreamed about last night, they were only images, not prophecies.

So why did she sound so upset that he might have come here for something other than her?

Holly sucked in a ragged breath, voice sharp. "I-it's okay if you came here to get away, but don't you dare pretend it was for-"

Something whooshed overhead, and Danny darted a step backward with a gasp. He caught a glimpse of color, and then it was gone in the fluttering leaves above. "What the fuck was that?"

Holly stayed quiet. He looked at her, then up again, and this time he caught a full view of the owl that flew low, scooped something he couldn't see off the forest floor, then disappeared into the branches again.

He'd never seen the likes of it before. It was stunning - the earthy colors of the plumage, the soft hoot that broke through the air, and the sheer speed and power it possessed. It took his breath away.

When he looked at Holly again, she was shaking.

He didn't fully know why he reached for her hand, but as their fingers collided, she pulled hers away - then slowly returned, lacing with his grip.

"When I bought that ticket, I did it for you," he whispered, because it was truer than anything he'd ever said before.

She shook her head. "I'm not a rebound."

He came a few steps closer, until his chest almost touched her shoulder. "What, and I am?"

Holly squeezed her eyes shut - but she didn't pull away. "No. You're not. I just…I don't…"

Fuck, he wanted to hold her. That was all he needed right now, just a long night with her in his arms figuring out how long he'd been repressing the needy attraction boiling right under the surface of his skin. But she looked terrified, and he wasn't going to make another move. "It's dark. Nature's fucking cool and all, but…we should head back."

As Danny started to walk away - to let her hand go - she squeezed it tighter. "Don't."

He looked.

Holly didn't say another word - just led the way back through the darkening forest, his hand still tightly locked in hers.

 

~~~

 

She built them a fire in the yard once they got back, glaring at Danny when he tried to lift wood to help her. She could do it all on her own. She might be so weak that she made a broken man ignore his own pain to come across the entire country to see her, but she wasn't going to let him do _everything._

Especially not when he had her head so stirred up.

So maybe she had seen how he watched her while they were both working at Maker - so what? She'd told herself that if he was a fuckboy, she could get the whole office to tear him a new one, but no, he'd been good and kind and hadn't ever once made her feel uncomfortable. And now? It wasn't like she was wearing a ring anymore, and neither was he.

She could think about things, dangerous though they were. Being interested in someone who lived over a thousand miles away wasn't her style anymore.

Once the fire was lit, she collapsed beside it in the grass and put her chin in her hands. Danny sat beside her, their thighs brushing, and the shock that shot through her wasn't entirely unwelcome.

Before she could talk her lonely, contact deprived body out of it, she sagged against him, head on his shoulder. "What are we doing?"

"Sitting."

"Danny."

He chuckled. "Fuck if I know. I don't try to make this a habit."

"What?"

"You know."

"I need you to spell it out for me." Holly tipped her head back so she could see his face illuminated by the flickering flames.

Danny sighed and put an arm around her shoulders, one that hovered awkwardly for a few seconds before it dropped fully into place. "Getting feels for a girl I've been friends with for, what, six, seven years?"

"Why not?"

"It's easier when it's somebody you barely know. You can kind of…drift off without too much pain, if things don't work out."

She knew a little something about pain - how it wracked her and kept her awake at night in an empty bed, making her ask herself what she could've done differently. Her eyes filled, and, embarrassed, she quickly looked at the fire. "So we don't do anything. You go home tomorrow and we just forget this ever happened."

Silence. Fingers found her hair, trailing through the strands, and she leaned into the touch, her eyelashes fluttering. She felt a tear fall down her cheek as her eyes shut.

"If that's what you want," Danny finally said.

"What do _you_ want?" she shot back, voice tight.

Danny snorted. "Holly, I waited for you without even realizing I was doing it. If what you want is…to be alone, I can dig that. We all need it sometimes, right?"

Her muscles exploded into action. With one stab of fear at that word - _alone_ \- she flung herself into his lap, straddling his hips and throwing her arms around him. "No. _No._ I'm sick of it. I'm so sick of being alone, I-I don't…"

"Hey." Danny buried his fingers in her hair and held her tight with his other arm around her waist. "You don't…you don't _have_ to be. You know?"

"Right." She pressed her face into his neck. "You'll just magically be here all the time, if we do this, sure."

"I might be almost forty, but I can fucking use a phone," he murmured without anger. "I know how FaceTime works. I can buy plane tickets and come see you."

"I don't know if I could fly to you."

"You think I wouldn't have thought of that?"

_Have you?_ That California would only be full of memories and anxiety and fear?

"You only showed me one part of the woods. You need to show me a hell of a lot more, don't you?" Danny asked.

_This isn't real,_ her mind insisted. _You don't deserve the soft. You don't deserve to be held. You're hallucinating._

But she wasn't. She was being held right here, more warmed by Danny's body than the fire they sat before. It was real.

All of it - her pounding heart, Danny's soothing voice, and the tight embrace from the stunning landscape around them - was _real._

"When can you come back?" Holly whispered.

When he laughed, Danny's chest vibrated pleasantly against hers. "Suzy's been after me to take a vacation for years. I could be back here in two weeks."

_Two weeks._ She sought his curls, tingling all over when he made a soft sound and let her give them a small tug. "Two weeks by myself."

"No. No, you can't just…stay here. Holly, you've gotta promise me you're gonna get out there and meet some people. I don't care how, just…" He shook his head. "You can't."

"Yeah. Yeah, I know." Even as she said it, the fear raced through her again - but she could push through it. Meeting people was terrifying, yes, but she couldn't do the solitude anymore. Days bled into nights. Speaking grew too difficult. Her skin went even paler. Each day, she turned more into a ghost - a monster that walked among humans.

There were plenty of ways to get around up here. She'd just have to try her hardest.

"Okay," he murmured.

Holly pulled away from his neck and tentatively touched his face. The roughness of Danny's stubble scratched her palm. He watched her with those unfathomably warm brown eyes, his pupils wide and dark.

His lips were parted.

Suddenly it seemed vital to find her guns and stick to them. "I'm not having sex with you tonight."

Danny burst out laughing again. He pressed their foreheads together and nuzzled her nose. "As long as you don't judge me if I jerk off in your bathroom."

"Gross," she said with a slow grin.

He quieted, eyes sparkling. "What about a kiss to seal the deal? Maybe on your hand? Is that cute? You like cute shit like that, right?"

She did, in fact, like cute shit - but, after all she'd lost, she liked feeling brave even more. She slid her hand to cup the back of his scalp and leaned to meet his lips instead.

Losing an hour by the fire in the languid, slow push and pull of their mouths together…that was by far the best waste of time she'd ever had.


End file.
